Joel Stransky has been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame as inductee No.176, with the announcement made at a special dinner in Cape Town on Thursday ahead of the second Test between South Africa and New Zealand.
Stransky and former All Blacks number eight Zinzan Brooke are the first two members of the Class of 2026 to be confirmed, with both men having faced each other in the last Test series between the two nations 30 years ago and both having won the Rugby World Cup on home soil — Brooke in 1987, Stransky in 1995.
Stransky's 22-Test career, spanning 1993 to 1996, yielded 240 points and six tries. He is best remembered for kicking all 15 of South Africa's points in the 1995 World Cup final at Ellis Park, including the extra-time drop goal that sealed a 15-12 victory over the All Blacks.
Brooke, inducted alongside Stransky, played 58 Tests for New Zealand over a 12-year international career, starting 54 of them. He is remembered as much for his footballing ability as for his physicality, most notably for his long-range drop goal in the 1995 semi-final against England.
The remaining five members of the Class of 2026 will be announced on 7 September, which will bring the total number of Hall of Fame inductees to 182 since the programme began in 2006.